Top 10 Most Girl-Friendly Video Games of All Time
Posted at 5:00 AM Dec 15, 2009
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By Kiala Kazebee
"Girl-friendly" is a loaded term, isn't it? What does it mean, anyway? Does it mean the girl-friendly thing in question has doors on the stalls? That it's covered in unicorns and pink sparkles? That it prepares diligently for bikini season? That it NEEDS TO GET ITSELF A MAN?
To be honest, I'm not really sure what makes a video game girl-friendly, exactly. My preference (as a "girl") in gaming leans towards movie-quality graphics, a complex and engaging story line and challenging, not stupid, game play (Raiders of the Lost Ark anyone?) I'm not sure where the divide is on what attracts women to some games and men to others. A lot of women seem drawn towards puzzle games like Peggle, Castle Crashers, etc. Many men enjoy the tactical, military style of game play like Ghost Recon. Is this nature or nurture? Again, I'm not sure.
Myself, I don't really like puzzle games and I hated Ghost Recon. I prefer to worry only about my character's well-being and let everyone else fend for themselves. Actually, this is also one of my least favorite aspects of Mass Effect, a game I otherwise adore. Being responsible for the actions of others is not something I want IRL or in my gaming. And I realize this flies in the face of what society tells us women want, i.e. to care for and tend to a whole brood of helpless creatures. It's possible that, as a woman, I'm looking to escape that responsibility in the same way men might be working out their own demons through the leading of complex covert ops missions.
I have no concrete answers to this conundrum. For now, I'm going to define girl-friendly video games as brain smarts engaging, a story that doesn't demean or talk down to us (I'm looking at you GTA) and (hopefully) the ability to play as a girl character. I'm sure I've just scratched the surface here, so please tell me in the comments what you all think defines a good girl game and/or what games you'd like to see in this list.
10. Little Big Planet
The only puzzle game I'm including in this list because of all the enthusiastic (RABID) female Twitter responses I received when asking about it for this post. Dudes seem to really like this game, too. I don't know what I have against puzzle games, but it probaly has something to do with my childhood and the endless bouts of Scrabble and Backgammon I was subjected to by my mother.
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9. Valkyria Chronicles
The only manga game I am including in this list for the same reasons as above. I'll be honest. I don't own a Playstation and have never played this game, but I have been assured by the rabid lady fans that it is good. They told me this on the internet, and so it must be true.
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8. Mass Effect
Thank you, Bioware, for not only assuming that a woman space captain is just as capable as a man at killing the evil Geth, but also for the hot blue alien lady sex. I love that you went to there.
7. Dragon Age
This game is like a WoW/LOTR/Mass Effect mash up with lady characters galore. I highly recommend it to all high-fantasy nerdy chicks (of which I am one). And, in comparison to the graphics on the Diablo games (to which this game is compared all the time), the spell-casting and cut scenes are very, very pretty.
6. Bioshock
No, you do not get to play a female character in Bioshock, but it really doesn't matter, as the orientation is first-person and you never see yourself anyway. Also, it is probably the creepiest, most dystopian, BEST video game I have ever played, and I HATE first-person shooters because I am a vain creature and I like to see myself kicking ass. Rapture+Little Sisters+Adam+me= FOREVER
Comments
I agree with you on Bioshock, I don't normally like FPS but that game was too good to not play. I like games with a good engaging story and nice game play. If the buttons get too complicated, I'm gone. And if the characters talk at me for longer than an hour in between actually playing the game that's out too. I play games to kick ass, take names, and then continue about my day. So I love stuff like Shadow of the Colossus, Prince of Persia, God of War, Assassins Creed, Dead Space, Gears of War. But I'm also not averse to games like Viva Pinata (which I LOVE) or Little Big Planet or other games that lack large pecks and big guns/swords. I'm an equal opportunity gamer. Except for (human) war games. I don't like Call of Duty or anything like it, just can't get into it. It's too real life like, which often doesn't engage me and often just makes me feel weird when I stab another person in the face and I know that that same shit is going on pretty much the same way in another country right now.
Now if only more titles would come out with female leads that weren't also completely catered for men and their need to look at large boobies or dumbed down because dudes don't think women love to game. -_-
Posted 12/15/2009 at 07:29:01 AMI didn't see the Jane Austen video game in this list. The one where Lizzie shoots the Bingley sisters and then rides a horse extra fast or extra slow and also runs over hills and dales to experience freedom. Then finally bags Mr. Darcy by shooting him with a flaming arrow.
What?
Posted 12/15/2009 at 08:19:11 AMYou forgot metal gear, adn some of the classic rpgs... but if you didnt have a playstation you missed out on alot of good ones. Legend of Legia, The first RPG I ever played where the Girl in the party is not only faster than the males, but can even kick more ass than the guys, Not just with magic, but physically too. and Grandia, and Xenosaga. Because Kos-mos is crazy badass, and if it was legal to have both a husband and a wife, she would be at the top of my list for wives. XD
Posted 12/15/2009 at 08:20:07 AMYou forgot metal gear, adn some of the classic rpgs... but if you didnt have a playstation you missed out on alot of good ones. Legend of Legia, The first RPG I ever played where the Girl in the party is not only faster than the males, but can even kick more ass than the guys, Not just with magic, but physically too. and Grandia, and Xenosaga. Because Kos-mos is crazy badass, and if it was legal to have both a husband and a wife, she would be at the top of my list for wives. XD
Posted 12/15/2009 at 08:21:18 AMahh! first it ate my post then it double posted!!
I forgot Zelda, Ocarina of time. Zelda was the awsome Ninja Sheik! and Twilight Princess, Minda was such a cool character. Borderlands is pretty cool, My Siren Character (lvl 33)wins the majority of the time Vs my Husband's lvl 45 brick. ^_^
Posted 12/15/2009 at 08:31:28 AMAlong the Bioshock lines, I really enjoyed playing the Half-Life series. Half-Life has to be one of my favorite games of all time. Best storyline ever.
Posted 12/15/2009 at 09:25:59 AMValkyria Chronicles was by the Overworks team in Sega (Started out with Phantasy Star, went on to Sakura Taisen (Girls in Steampunk Robots fighting in Paris against enemy robots, a tactics game) and Skies of Arcadia. I don't even own a PS3, but I bought that game, so my opinion might be slightly skewed.
Just slightly.
I'm surprised you bumped out KOTOR, not only since it's pretty much Mass Effect with Jedi (and by the same development company), but since playing Lego Star Wars, I kept getting annoyed playing co-op and getting pulled along the screen by someone else.
Posted 12/15/2009 at 11:35:20 AMSeems like Metroid (and its various sequels) and Fable 2 would be good additions to this list, at least as far as ability to play as a female character goes. Fable 2 is pretty customizable like its predecessor, but you can not only choose to play as a woman, but choose your character's style of dress, mannerisms, and even sexual orientation.
Posted 12/15/2009 at 07:47:34 PMI like this game dragon edge it has very nice graphics and action scene I liked this one.This game has amazing action scene it has very nice game flow.
Posted 12/15/2009 at 09:07:36 PMWhat about Longest Journey and its sequel, Dreamfall? Engaging storyline, nice graphics, totally badass female protagonist (okay, one is badass, one less so).
Posted 12/16/2009 at 06:30:01 AMWhat about Metroid? The main character in that game (Samus Aran) is a lady, a lady whom you never see outside of the space age suit, leaving almost no chance to body objectification, and was first released in the U.S. in 1987. Obviously acknowledging this token female space avenger does not diminish the major issues of gender in video games but I do think its pretty cool that one of the most successful game franchises of all time featured a woman praised for her skill in saving the world, not in looking good while doing it.
Posted 12/18/2009 at 12:45:46 PMMy favourite game is modern warfare 2 it is really a very nice game and it has amazing action.
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